Stab Magazine | The Stab Boardshort Rule Book - with Sam Cottee, Vanguard

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

471 Views

The Stab Boardshort Rule Book – with Sam Cottee, Vanguard

The first rule? The word trunks sounds so much better than boardies. So wordly! So surf! Apart from that little aural aside, we asked a dozen of the world’s best surfwear designers for their take on this, the most precious item, in our summer wardrobe. Scroll down for the answers… STAB: How long have you been designing trunks? As far as jobs go, how is it? SC: Me and my brother have had the label for almost six years and have been designing and producing trunks for the past four years. Designing boardies is dope. Always stoked to get a killer sample back which you’re frothing to run over summer. You like? Detest? What kind of hours do you keep? Designing shapes, details, giving artistic direction on prints and fucking around with washes and new techniques to come up with trunks that are a bit different from your average high-performance microfibre trunk. Me and my brother own the label and design pretty well the entire range so office hours can be pretty long. Anywhere from eight am til seven pm or later if we’re under the pump but we’re happy to do it cause it’s our project. What gives you a thrill in the office? Nailing a print or getting back a sample back that you’re stoked with but the best part of the gig is travel for production development and sales. What are the fundamental rules of trunk design? Fit and quality are King. The rest, I like to break down the barriers a bit by using different materials and washes that you don’t usually see on boardies. Whose trunks, apart from your own, y’diggin? I’m not really into the whole super duper technological boardies so I’d have to say Insight, Vonzipper and Rusty. Do you have a design signature? We have a bit of a vintage signature to our boardies. We separate ourselves by using shorter leg lengths and scoop cuts combined with vintage-inspired prints and washes and cotton-based fabrics with limited logos. Leg lengths: What works? Best sellers for summer were the Another Galaxy boardies which sit just above the knee. The way I like it. What’s popular? We do a retro-inspired shape with a shorter leg length and scoop. We try to keep the prints pretty classic on these or just use a wash. The loggers and alternative surfers seem to like to run this style. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each length? I used to run longer boardies but I always surf in our Fusion boardies now cause they sit just on the knee and don’t feel too baggy, but still have enough leg room to do your thang. Sometimes, you cop a bit of knee rash from the tailpad in the short guys but I’m sure most guys can deal with it. Loggers and guys riding twinnies like the retro boardies cause it vibes with their style and they don’t have to worry about those pesky little tail pads. Do you have a favourite fabric? Cotton canvas and polycotton. I find cotton-based trunks have a more authentic feel and don’t give you as much rash plus they have more a walkshort style about em. The polycotton goes good cause they dry a little faster than canvas. A hypothetical: you’re designing the ultimate pair of trunks, with no cost consideration nor retail concern, what would you make? Woven Kevlar/gold thread trunks with a built-in ball massager. Y’travel for inspiration? Where do you go? I’d start by hitting the vintage stores and markets of LA to capture that old Cali vibe. Down to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina for textiles and print inspiration and then NYC and Tokyo for trends. Why snaps or a string? Always a string. Snaps don’t give you that room to really tighten em up if the surf’s pumping and if you’ve had a few too many beers or a big feed there’s no room to let the ol belly loose. Of all the offshore factories, who makes the best trunks? China? Bangladesh? India? Indonesia? And, if trunks were made in Australian factories, what would be the string, price-wise? I’ve always done my trunks in Indo and have been pretty stoked with the washing and different shit they can do, but if you’re after welded seams and stretch microfibres I’d say that China is the go. If trunks were made in Aussie factories they’d be great quality but they would end up around twice the price because printing and labour costs are that much dearer here. Who or what is the biggest influence in trunk design? Professional surfers. They’re the guys getting in all the shots and giving feedback to the companies. What’s the best pair of trunks you’ve designed that didn’t make it past the sampling stage? There’s only been one pair that we didn’t end up making. Just a knee length with an abstract stonewash and splice panel print. Nuthin too crazy. –Derek Rielly

style // Feb 22, 2016
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The first rule? The word trunks sounds so much better than boardies. So wordly! So surf! Apart from that little aural aside, we asked a dozen of the world’s best surfwear designers for their take on this, the most precious item, in our summer wardrobe. Scroll down for the answers…

STAB: How long have you been designing trunks? As far as jobs go, how is it?
SC: Me and my brother have had the label for almost six years and have been designing and producing trunks for the past four years. Designing boardies is dope. Always stoked to get a killer sample back which you’re frothing to run over summer.

You like? Detest? What kind of hours do you keep? Designing shapes, details, giving artistic direction on prints and fucking around with washes and new techniques to come up with trunks that are a bit different from your average high-performance microfibre trunk. Me and my brother own the label and design pretty well the entire range so office hours can be pretty long. Anywhere from eight am til seven pm or later if we’re under the pump but we’re happy to do it cause it’s our project.

What gives you a thrill in the office? Nailing a print or getting back a sample back that you’re stoked with but the best part of the gig is travel for production development and sales.

What are the fundamental rules of trunk design? Fit and quality are King. The rest, I like to break down the barriers a bit by using different materials and washes that you don’t usually see on boardies.

Whose trunks, apart from your own, y’diggin? I’m not really into the whole super duper technological boardies so I’d have to say Insight, Vonzipper and Rusty.

Do you have a design signature? We have a bit of a vintage signature to our boardies. We separate ourselves by using shorter leg lengths and scoop cuts combined with vintage-inspired prints and washes and cotton-based fabrics with limited logos.

Leg lengths: What works? Best sellers for summer were the Another Galaxy boardies which sit just above the knee. The way I like it.

What’s popular? We do a retro-inspired shape with a shorter leg length and scoop. We try to keep the prints pretty classic on these or just use a wash. The loggers and alternative surfers seem to like to run this style.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each length? I used to run longer boardies but I always surf in our Fusion boardies now cause they sit just on the knee and don’t feel too baggy, but still have enough leg room to do your thang. Sometimes, you cop a bit of knee rash from the tailpad in the short guys but I’m sure most guys can deal with it. Loggers and guys riding twinnies like the retro boardies cause it vibes with their style and they don’t have to worry about those pesky little tail pads.

Do you have a favourite fabric? Cotton canvas and polycotton. I find cotton-based trunks have a more authentic feel and don’t give you as much rash plus they have more a walkshort style about em. The polycotton goes good cause they dry a little faster than canvas.

A hypothetical: you’re designing the ultimate pair of trunks, with no cost consideration nor retail concern, what would you make? Woven Kevlar/gold thread trunks with a built-in ball massager.

Y’travel for inspiration? Where do you go? I’d start by hitting the vintage stores and markets of LA to capture that old Cali vibe. Down to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina for textiles and print inspiration and then NYC and Tokyo for trends.

Why snaps or a string? Always a string. Snaps don’t give you that room to really tighten em up if the surf’s pumping and if you’ve had a few too many beers or a big feed there’s no room to let the ol belly loose.

Of all the offshore factories, who makes the best trunks? China? Bangladesh? India? Indonesia? And, if trunks were made in Australian factories, what would be the string, price-wise? I’ve always done my trunks in Indo and have been pretty stoked with the washing and different shit they can do, but if you’re after welded seams and stretch microfibres I’d say that China is the go. If trunks were made in Aussie factories they’d be great quality but they would end up around twice the price because printing and labour costs are that much dearer here.

Who or what is the biggest influence in trunk design? Professional surfers. They’re the guys getting in all the shots and giving feedback to the companies.

What’s the best pair of trunks you’ve designed that didn’t make it past the sampling stage? There’s only been one pair that we didn’t end up making. Just a knee length with an abstract stonewash and splice panel print. Nuthin too crazy. –Derek Rielly

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Correction: J-Bay All Foreplay, No Climax

Slim pickings on Day 1 of the Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025.

Jul 11, 2025

What Do Hollywood, Surf Lessons, Michael Jackson And Traction Pads Have In Common?

A Stab Interview with Teva Dexter, the man behind surfing's hardest new hardware brand —…

Jul 10, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 10, 2025

How Josh Ku Nearly Died Trying To Cross From Ulus to G Land by Hydrofoil

“If someone finds me dead at least they can find my phone and know what…

Jul 10, 2025

Expect No Kiss, All Climax At The “World’s Most Perfect Pointbreak”

A Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025 preview.

Jul 9, 2025

SEOTY: Liam O’Brien stars in ‘Friction of Perception’

"Hopefully I don’t come across like too much of a peanut."

Jul 8, 2025

10 Shapers To Watch In The Next 10 Years — Part One

“It’s like a drug empire, man. Cut the head off the snakes, and more will…

Jul 7, 2025

Mason Ho Joins Ritual Vision, Releases Remix Of Greatest Hits

Dion Agius riffs on the eyewear brand’s U.S. expansion, Ritualistic Tendencies, and the new stars…

Jul 7, 2025

Is It Time For A New Judging Format?

We have a modest proposal — a WSL head judge disagrees.

Jul 7, 2025

Luke Thompson Turns Last Year’s Priority Disaster Into Ballito Gold

+ earns himself a wildcard into Jbay.

Jul 7, 2025

Fiji Has Its First Professional Surfer, And He’s Unbelievable

16-year-old James Kusitino’s incomprehensible tube lounging leads to a deal with Former.

Jul 6, 2025

Laird Hamilton on The Limitations of Being a Purist, Invention vs. Ownership + Why He Never Had a Sticker Deal 

Untold stories from his How Surfers Get Paid interview.

Jul 4, 2025

When Surfer’s Eye Is Actually Cancer

Erin Campbell's brutal journey from surf camp dreams to chemo drops, cryotherapy, and surgical horror.

Jul 3, 2025

Surfing’s 2025 Q2 Report

An assessment of surfing's vital signs throughout the second quarter of 2025.

Jul 2, 2025

What Actually Happened to Occy’s Mad Max Plunger Pool In Yeppoon?

Surf Lakes’ brass talks: internet hecklers, the unplugging of the plunger, and the Tom Curren…

Jul 2, 2025

Poor Goofy Foots 

Data shows that the world is stacked against goofs — they even make 15% less money than…

Jul 1, 2025

Britain’s First Wavepool Has Closed — What Really Happened?

Bankruptcy, social media hackings, debts unpaid — and yet, reopening looms.

Jul 1, 2025

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025
Advertisement